Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health
Environmental Programs Specialist,
Environmental Protection Specialist,
Environmental Scientist,
Environmental Specialist
What they do: Conduct research or perform investigation for the purpose of identifying, abating, or eliminating sources of pollutants or hazards that affect either the environment or public health. Using knowledge of various scientific disciplines, may collect, synthesize, study, report, and recommend action based on data derived from measurements or observations of air, food, soil, water, and other sources.
- DemandHigh
- state Avg. Salary $$$$$$74,220Download Career Flyer
What do they typically do on the job?
- Communicate scientific or technical information to the public, organizations, or internal audiences through oral briefings, written documents, workshops, conferences, training sessions, or public hearings.
- Monitor effects of pollution or land degradation and recommend means of prevention or control.
- Collect, synthesize, analyze, manage, and report environmental data, such as pollution emission measurements, atmospheric monitoring measurements, meteorological or mineralogical information, or soil or water samples.
Personality
Interests
Career interests describe the perspectives and interests of people who enjoy the type of work involved in this career.
Discover what your interests are by taking the Interest Profiler Quiz
Knowledge
People who want to pursue this career have knowledge in these areas.
Arts and Humanities
English language
Math and Science
Biology
Chemistry
Business
Customer service
Administrative services
Safety and Government
Law and government
Abilities
Whether you have received formal training or not, these types of abilities are helpful in this career.
Verbal
Listen and understand what people say
Read and understand what is written
Ideas and Logic
Notice when problems happen
Use rules to solve problems
Math
Choose the right type of math to solve a problem
Add, subtract, multiply, or divide
Skills
People who want to pursue this career have skills in these areas.
Basic Skills
Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
Reading work related information
Problem Solving
Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
Social
Changing what is done based on other people's actions
Teaching people how to do something
Work Values
Work values describe how your core beliefs align with those commonly needed for this career.
Achievement
Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Independence
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Recognition
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.
Does this sound like something you'd like to do?
1. Do some research
- Identify how your interests, values, and strengths match this occupation
- Talk to someone who works in this field or spend a day job shadowing
- Use the colleges and training directory to explore programs related to this career
2. Plan your next move
- Talk to your college and career counselor or school admissions staff
- Visit Idaho Launch
- Search for available Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health jobs on Idaho Works
Data for NSI career cards comes from the following: Idaho Department of Labor, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, O*NET, MyNextMove, and Career OneStop